Poverty Alleviation of Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security

　　【Overview】  In 2009, under the leadership of the party committee of the ministry, with support and instructions from LGOP, the Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security kept reinforcing fixed-point poverty alleviation and achieved good results.

　　In 2008, the former Ministry of Human Resources and Ministry of Labor Security merged into Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security. The ministry has 3 counties for fixed-point poverty alleviation: Tianzhen County of Shanxi, Huoshan County and Jinzhai County of Anhui. After the new ministry was founded, the party organizations of the ministry always regard poverty alleviation as an important political task. First, reinforce leadership and set up the ministerial poverty alleviation leading group. He Xian, the party committee member of the ministry, vice minister and the secretary of the ministry’s party committee, acted as the head of the group, main principals of the ministry’s party committee, general office and human affair division of acted as the vice heads, and main principals of 9 units, including Planning & Financial Division and Employment Promotion Division, etc, acted as the members. Second, select excellent cadres to take temporary posts in impoverished counties. In 2009, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security sent 3 cadres to Tianzhen County of Shanxi, 2 cadres to Huoshan County and two cadres to Jinzhai County. The leading cadres acted as temporary standing members of the county’s party committees and vice county heads. Third, exert the functions of Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security and handle poverty alleviation pertinently. In 2009, the functions of Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security mainly covered 8 aspects in 2 fields, mainly including employment promotion, social security, labor relationship, income allocation, talent work, treatment of retired army men, public servant management and introduction of intellects, etc. Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security exerted its own functions, reinforced poverty alleviation in talents, intelligence, technology and projects, and pushed forward poverty alleviation.

　　【Poverty alleviation in talents and science & technology】  Build a talent team of high quality, which is the foundation for the economic and social development of counties for poverty alleviation. In 2009, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security exerted its functions, found the most urgent problems and improved the effect of talent fostering.

　　1．”Go Out” to reinforce training. Send party & political cadres and professional technicians of poverty alleviation counties to go to other places for training by stage and batch. For example, in Tianzhen County of Shanxi, 60 agricultural technicians were organized to study and observe in Shouguang, Shandong by 2 batches, they learned knowledge and experienced in vegetable planting technologies and agriculture industrialization management, which supported the acceleration of agriculture industrialization. In Jinzhai County of Anhui, the employment skill training of students from impoverished families was still promoted, 66 impoverished students were sent to the ministry’s designated senior technical school (technician institute) for free or semi-free in 2009. In 2009, the ministry held young cadre training seminars, division-level cadre training seminars and bureau-level cadre symposia, as well as east-west public servant training seminars, which absorbed over 80 young cadres from impoverished counties, township cadres and county leaders; as told by the participants, they broadened their horizons, increased their knowledge and improved their level by attending the ministry’s training. In addition, teachers and physicians from impoverished counties were arranged for further study in stressed middle schools and AAA hospitals in Beijing to improve their professional technical ability and quality.

　　2．”Introduce” technical instructions. Introduce excellent intellectual resources in other places to the counties by inviting experts to give lectures, organization survey and project supporting, etc. In 2009, experts and scholars were invited to give over 20 lectures and consulting in the 3 poverty alleviation counties, which boosted the conversion of cadres and the public’s ideas greatly. For example, to fill the gap of Huoshan County’s talents and technologies, a returned overseas expert service team was organized to provide technical instructions, the team helped the county solve many difficulties and key technologies in the development of dominant industries, assisted the county to make industrial development planning, with stress on industrial technologies. Experts were invited to give instructions, and many measures were taken to build a province hi-tech industrial base. In 2009, the county got 3 more hi-tech enterprises and 11 hi-tech products, and won the title of national technological progress county again.

　　【Labor transfer employment training】  In 2009, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security launched the rural labor training to improve farmers’ comprehensive quality, developed labor export to boost the transferred employment of rural surplus labors and to increase labors’ income.

　　Due to the financial crisis, many rural migrant workers of fixed-point poverty alleviation counties returned to work in their hometowns. Therefore, the temporary poverty alleviation cadres sent by Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security exerted their functions to have survey and carry out the employment and re-employment policies. For example, Huoshan County of Anhui set up 3 new returned migrant work venture parks in 2009 and got subsidy of 4.5 million Yuan, which helped returned migrant workers’ employment and venture a lot. In 2009, the county increased 3509 posts, provided employment for 1023 laid-off workers, transferred rural labors to other industries than agriculture, issued micro loans of 2.4 million Yuan, controlled registered urban unemployment rate below 4.2%, and over-finished all annual tasks. Jinzhai County insisted on improving working skills, integrated training resources, set up training bases, increased working posts, reinforce the support to employment, and improved employment ability and level; in 2009, Jinzhai County increased working posts by 3812, provided posts for 1591 laid-off workers, and controlled registered urban unemployment rate below 4.0%. Because many rural migrant workers returned to their hometowns, the county provided training for 5649 rural migrant workers in the year, transfer 8215 rural labors, issued micro secured loans of 1.5 million Yuan to venturing entities, issued loans of 6.54 million Yuan to individuals, and supported venture to promote employment.

　　【Implementation of new rural endowment insurance policies】  In 2009, the state started the pilot points of new rural endowment insurance. 10% of counties were selected as pilot points. The new rural endowment insurance is the state’s another important policy to benefit farmers after the cancellation of agricultural tax and direct grain planting subsidy, and the policy is welcomed by all farmers in fixed-point poverty alleviation counties. With support from the ministry’s party committee, all the 3 fixed-point poverty alleviation counties of Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security were selected as pilot points, and 1.27 rural people were covered. Before the spring festival of 2010, all the rural seniors in line with the requirements in the 3 counties could get pensions of no less than 55 Yuan per month, which helped the impoverished seniors solve some actual difficulties. For example, in thanks to the scientific management of the new rural endowment insurance pilot points, the insurance was promoted solidly and effectively, 360,000 rural residents participated in the insurance, the insurance participation rate reached 80%, insurance premium of 64.85 million Yuan was raised, and basic pensions of 15 million Yuan were issued by the end of 2009. The new rural endowment insurance pilot points of Huoshan County and Tianzhen County advanced smoothly, the endowment insurance was called the largest poverty alleviation project in recent years by local people and cadres, the project is very welcome, and pensions of farmers were solved. With the gradual collection and the state finance’s more investments, farmers’ pensions will be increased, which is very important for improving farmers’ living conditions.

　　【Wider collection of ”5-in-1 Insurance”】 Conduct wider collection of ”5-in-1 Insurance”, build the social insurance system covering cities and countryside. For example, in Huoshan County of Anhui, in 2009, the number of participants of the basic endowment insurance, employment injury insurance, maternity insurance, medical insurance and unemployment insurance reached 133,000, the annual sum of various social insurance fees exceeded 100 million Yuan for the first time. When promoting new rural endowment insurance pilot points, Jinzhai County, with a population of 680,000, promoted urban residents’ medical insurance and endowment insurance for deprived peasants, the wider collection of ”5-in-1 Insurance” advanced solidly, and the county collected various social insurance funds of 179.7 million Yuan in 2009.

　　【Development of poverty alleviation projects】  In 2009, the important adjustment to the state’s investment policies provided opportunities to accelerate poverty alleviation and development. Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security supported the county to grasp opportunities and survey in depth, and make urgent and feasible project plans according to the county’s economic and social development. Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security contacted related central departments and related units for coordination and communication of projects and plans. For example, when applying for Foziling Pumped Storage Power Station, which is important for the local long-term development, Huoshan County of Anhui visited related departments of National Development and Reform Commission and State Energy Administration of China to communicate with them on the progress of the project. In 2009, the project passed the state’s verification, the first investments were expected to exceed 1 billion Yuan, which assures the county’s fast economic development. Tianzhen County of Shanxi communicated with Shanxi Dept. of Transport and Hebei Dept. of Transport, and gained the synchronous execution of Phase 1 and 2 of Tianzhen Section of Tianzhen-Datong Express Way; the total investments reached 2.5 billion Yuan, and the project improved Tianzhen County’s traffic infrastructure and boosted the county’s economic development. Due to financial difficulties, Jinzhai County’s employment and social security service sites were very tatty, 3 of the 4 offices were rented, and one office was a hazardous building constructed in 1960s. After application, with the support from National Development and Reform Commission and the provincial development & reform commission, the employment and social security service facilities project of the county and 4 towns has been launched by National Development and Reform Commission, the project construction fund of 6 million Yuan was obtained, and public tendering will be conducted. The country has introduced some important projects, such as LED photovoltaic park, Xionghong Machinery and Saihong Glass, etc, and the agreed funds reached 350 million Yuan.

　　【Poverty Alleviation Warmth Event】  In 2009, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security built 6 Hope Schools in 3 fixed-point poverty alleviation counties, and organizes related units of the ministry, cadres and employees to finish Poverty Alleviation Warmth Event in the Hope Schools. From 2009, the ministry’s labor union has organized over 40 cadres and employees to visit and greet poverty alleviation counties, and bring books, schooling supplies, cultural and sports articles to schools. Before the spring festival of 2010, Yang Zhiming, a party committee member and vice minister of Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security, lead a team to observe and survey Tianzhen County of Shanxi, the team went to the countryside, enterprises and schools to learn the situation and research measures, and brought 350 pieces of cotton-padded clothes to impoverished students in Tianzhen County Hope School. In Huoshan County, to helped children from impoverished families to go to school, the temporary cadres sent by Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security organized related staffs to donate money to help a middle school student whose backbone was wounded but whose family did not have enough money for medical treatment, medical expenses of nearly 40000 Yuan were donated and the student finished the operation.

　　(Poverty Alleviation Office, Central Party Committee of

　　Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security)